Call Northside 777

Made in 1948, Call Northside 777 is a prime example of the intelligent late-1940s studio pic, at a peak that wouldn't last too much longer. James Stewart is a cynical reporter with his eye on the main chance who takes up the case of a man who has been in prison for 11 years after being convicted of killing a policeman, after an ad is placed with a $5,000 reward.

Based on a real case, Henry Hathaway's film is slow and painstaking as Stewart slogs around grim Chicago backstreets and bars; they give the film a grimy feeling halfway between documentary and film noir. In a top-class trio of titles, Second Sight also release two better-known John Garfield movies: the boxing pic Body and Soul, which makes Cinderella Man look the fairy story it is, and Force of Evil, a masterly investigation of US corruption which got everyone involved into big trouble with Senator McCarthy, as well as three Oscar nominations.